Why your Christmas party might be the most important decision of the year.

What kind of Christmas party guest are you? Have you had your sparkly outfit or novelty jumper picked out since Summer or has the prospect of donning a paper hat got you thinking of excuses already? With workplaces starting to prepare for this year’s celebration some bosses are already filled with dread, so much so that some are even considering not bothering at all. Well, we’re here to tell you why that’s not a good idea and to provide some insight into how our team of expert event planners approach this annual bash.

Regardless of the size of your company, your Christmas party can play a big role in shaping and instilling your company culture. Firstly, you should view this celebration as a ‘thank you’ to your employees. This is the perfect opportunity to show your gratitude for 12 months of hard work. It may seem like a small gesture but a happy company culture will lead to happy staff, and happy staff are productive staff.

If you’re a startup company on a startup budget or this year hasn’t been too kind to you financially, it’s no real surprise that parties are one of the first thing to go. Investing in your employees will pay off in the long run though, afterall it’s your employees, who will help your business to grow and flourish. Whilst the sound of a lavish themed event and free-flowing booze might sound appealing, if your budget won’t allow this, something as simple as drinks in the office or a local bar will still get everyone in a festive mood.

I’m sure there will be some people reading this thinking ‘it’s only September, we have ages until I need to think about that!’ Well, think again. Leaving your planning until the last minute will only increase costs, not to mention the added stress of trying to organise something on a tight timescale. Getting a head start increases your likelihood of negotiating a good price with venues or event planners as they want to get their bookings secured early and will often have early bird deals for you to take advantage of. I’m not saying you should finish reading this and go into panic mode, but starting early really does have its perks.

Finding someone in the team who has the time and enthusiasm to take a lead on the planning can make a big difference to the overall experience. Find someone, who is most suited to the role, or better still someone who might enjoy doing it. Ask around and see if anyone would like to take this on. Or, if budgets allow you can bring in an event management company to handle all the nitty gritty details, leaving you to sit back and enjoy the event with everyone else.